Kalanchoe plant named Passionate

ABSTRACT

A Kalanchoe plant named Passionate specifically developed for its ability to produce cut flowers. In addition, Passionate has upright and tall growth, excellent lateral branching, small lavender pink flowers, floriferous habit, and long lasting flowers which remain open under low light conditions.

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cultivar ofKalanchoe plant, botanically known as Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and knownby the cultivar name Passionate. The new cultivar was developed by methrough controlled breeding by crossing Eternity (U.S. Pat. No. P.P.5,253) (see parent) with Acapulco (unpatented) (pollen parent). Theprincipal objective of the breeding program was to develop new Kalanchoecultivars having certain desired characteristics and which could be usedto produce cut flowers.

Asexual reproduction of stem cuttings has shown that the unique featuresof this new Kalanchoe are stabilized and are reproduced true to type insuccessive propagations.

The following characteristics distinguish the new Kalanchoe from bothits parent cultivars and other cultivated Kalanchoes of this type knownand used in the floriculture industry. In order to describe thecharacteristics more meaningfully, references are made to known pot typeKalanchoe cultivars, including Eternity (U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 5,253),Dignity (U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 5,255), Bingo (U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 5,876) andSensation (U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 4,727). Also referred to are Desert Blaze,Sombrero, Lemon Drop and Bashful, all cut flower type Kalanchoecultivars of applicant disclosed in pending patent applications.

1. Passionate is an upright cut flower type Kalanchoe characterized bylavender pink flowers which are deeper in color than Dignity (a lightlavender pink), Eternity (a salmon organe), Bindo (a brighter pink), andSensation (a deep lavender rose). All of the comparison cultivars arepot type in growth.

2. Passionate is much taller (43-47 cm) than the four pot typeKalanchoes (18-22 cm tall when grown without grown regulators), similarin height to Sombrero (43-47 cm), but is slightly shorter than DesertBlaze (40-52 cm), Lemon Drop (53-57 cm), and Bashful (48-52 cm).

3. Passionate generally has ten lateral branches similar to Bashful,Sombrero and Eternity, while Lemon Drop, Desert Blaze, Sensation andBingo generally have eight lateral branches.

4. Passionate is the only cut flower type of this group that displayssecondary branching of the lower lateral branches. This characteristicalso occurs in the pot types Eternity and Sensation, but not Bingo.

5. Flowers of Passionate are smaller (14 mm) than any of the comparisoncultivars but are so numerous that the overall effect is a mass ofcolor.

6. Leaves of Passionate are larger than Bashful, similar in size toEternity, and smaller than all the other comparison cultivars.

7. Leaf color of Eternity and Bashful are darker green than Passionate,with Lemon Drop and Sombrero having lighter green leaves and the othercomparison cultivars being similar in leaf color.

8. Leaf margins in Passionate are finely lobed and deep cut like DesertBlaze, Bashful, Eternity and Bingo, while Sensation, Dignity, Lemon Dropand Sombrero are larger lobed and shallower cut.

9. Mature stigmatic surface of Passionate has a reddish pink tint asdoes Desert Blaze, Bashful and Sensation, while the rest of thecomparison cultivars are only whitish in color.

10. The five cut flower type Kalanchoes tend to have very little basalbranching from the lower two nodes while the four pot plant types havemuch more basal branching.

11. The inflorescence of Passionate and the other four cut flower typesare open with flowers carried at the end of long strong branches, whilethe pot types have a dense compact inflorescence with flowers carried atthe end of short branches.

12. Long lasting lavender pink flowers.

13. Strong, upright branches.

14. Flowers remain open under low light conditions after one dark tolight conditioning cycle after cutting.

15. Can be grown on a schedule to provide cut flowers every week of theyear.

The accompanying colored photograph is a top perspective viewillustrating the overall appearance of Passionate, with colors being astrue as reasonably possible to obtain in a colored reproduction of thistype. The photograph was taken in late June 1988.

The following is a detailed description of my new Kalanchoe culitvarbased on plants produced under commercial practices in Ashtabula, Ohio,under greenhouse conditions. Color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general color terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used.

The description is based on plant cuttings five (5) weeks old stuck insix (6) inch pots and given two (2) weeks of long day and then shortdays to induce flowering. The plants were grown at 64°-68° F. nighttemperatures. Measurements were taken twelve (12) weeks after the startof short days, with plant height being measured from the soil line ofthe plant.

Parentage: A controlled cross between Eternity (female parent) andAcapulco (male parent).

Propagation:

(A) Type cutting.--Stem tip cutting up to 3 cm long.

(B) Time to root.--10 days at 21° C. summer; 14 days at 21° C. winter.

(C) Rooting habit.--Abundant, fine, fibrous roots.

Plant description:

(A) Form.--Tall, upright, with flower clusters (inflorescence) carriedwell above leaf mass on long stems; larger leaves in the lower part ofthe plant and smaller leaves up in the flower cluster.

(B) Habit of growth.--Upright, vigorous; branching occurs from the uppernodes with only an occasional lateral from the basal node. Flowercluster is a spray form. Environment will play a role in how tall aplant will get.

(C) Foilage.--Leaves simple and opposite. (1) Size: Average; full grownleave on a plant grown in a 15 cm pot are 10 to 11 cm long and 5.5 to6.0 cm wide. (2) Shape: Ovate; apex obtuse; base rounded. (3) Texture:Glabrous, coriaceuos and succulent. (4) Margin: Crenate, some verydeeply lobed. (5) Color: Young foilage, top side 146A; Young foilage,under side 146C; Mature foilage, top side 147A; Mature foilage, underside 147B.

Flowering description:

(A) Flowering habits.--Inflorescence is a cyme. Terminal flower on mainaxis opens first followed by the terminal flowers of the side branches,continuing with the subsequent development of branches in theinflorescence. Inflorescence is made up of the main stem and up to tenlateral branches, with some of the lower lateral branches branchingagain. The inflorescence is 33-36 cm in height and 14-18 cm in diameter,and is open.

(B) Natural flowering season.--Early January. Flowering time undercontrolled daylength at 20° C. in summer is nine weeks; in winter istwelve weeks. Flowering time depends on temperature, light intensity andother growing conditions. In general, higher temperatures (to the pointof heat delay) and increased light intensity will speed up flowering,and low temperatures and light intensity will delay flowering. Otherconditions that can cause delay in the flowering are low fertility, veryhigh night temperatures (80° F. plus) and moisture stress.

(C) Flower buds.--Oblong, up to 8 mm long just before showing firstcolor, developing tubular as flower petals mature. Sheathed with fourgreen sepals.

(D) Flowers borne.--Compound dichasial cymes, primary peduncle 5 mm indiameter just below the first branch of the influorescence; length willvary depending on growing conditions. In general, puduncles will beshorter when plants are moisture stressed, grown well spaced, grownunder high light intensity, grown under low temperatures, or are givenapplications of growth regulators. If plants are grown crowded and/orunder low light conditions, the peduncles will tend to stretch badly.Pedicels vary in length depending on where they are located in theinforescence. The pedicels become shorter the higher they are in theinflorescence, that is, the closer they are to the apical meristem.

(E) Quantity of flowers.--Highly floriferous, with the main stem and upto ten lateral branches having 50 or more flowers each.

(F) Petals.--(1) Shape: Almost rounded, top cuspidate. (2) Color: Topside when opening 67C, fading first to 68B, then to 81D and then to75A-B. In view of numerous changes in color, precise values aredifficult; under side approximately 68C. (3) Number of Petals: 4. (4)Size: 7 mm long, 5 mm wide; total flower diameter 14 mm.

(G) Reproductive organs.--(1) Number of Stamens: Eight. (a) Anthershape: Flat elliptical; color--yellowish-green. (b) Filament color:Light green. (c) Pollen color: Yellow. (2) Pistils: (a) Stigma shape:Flat; color--greenish yellow with pink at center. (b) Style color:Yellowish green. (c) Ovaries: Number--4; size--6 mm; color--green.

Disease resistance: Passionate has shown resistance to powdery mildew.No other disease problems to date.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Kalanchoe plant namedPassionate, as illustrated and described.